“It seems then, that Christians may forget Christ! There could be no need for this loving exhortation, if there were not a fearful supposition that our memories might prove treacherous. Nor is this a bare supposition: it is, alas! too well confirmed in our experience, not as a possibility, but as a lamentable fact. It appears almost impossible that those who have been redeemed by the blood of the dying Lamb, and loved with an everlasting love by the eternal Son of God, should forget that gracious Saviour; but, if startling to the ear, it is, alas! too apparent to the eye to allow us to deny the crime. Forget Him who never forgot us! Forget Him who poured His blood forth for our sins! Forget Him who loved us even to the death! Can it be possible? Yes, it is not only possible, but conscience confesses that it is too sadly a fault with all of us, that we suffer Him to be as a wayfaring man tarrying but for a night. He whom we should make the abiding tenant of our memories is but a visitor therein. The cross where one would think that memory would linger, and unmindfulness would be an unknown intruder, is desecrated by the feet of forgetfulness. Does not your conscience say that this is true? Do you not find yourselves forgetful of Jesus? Some creature steals away your heart, and you are unmindful of Him upon whom your affection ought to be set. Some earthly business engrosses your attention when you should fix your eye steadily upon the cross. It is the incessant turmoil of the world, the constant attraction of earthly things which takes away the soul from Christ. While memory too well preserves a poisonous weed, it suffereth the rose of Sharon to wither. Let us charge ourselves to bind a heavenly forget-me-not about our hearts for Jesus our Beloved, and, whatever else we let slip, let us hold fast to Him.”

“My dear friend, one thing is certainly true about Christ. All that He has ever been He must forever be. All that He was to those first disciples, He must be ready to be to any one, even the least of His disciples. His power is nothing at any one point if it is not powerful at all points; nothing, if not eternal. How is it possible, then, that Christ should do for you and me what he did for Peter and John, and Matthew and Nathanael? It is not hard to see, and to many people living just such lives as we live it has become the most real of experiences. Jesus, the Jesus of the Gospels, fastens his life to our life. By His life and death, bearing witness of His love, He twines Himself into our being. To love Him becomes a real thing. He is close by our side. He is right in our lot every day. Then as we go on living thus with Him some crisis of our life occurs, some need of action. We are put to some test, and as we stand doubting, or as we go and do the act in our low way, Christ, right by our side, does it in His higher way. Not that His hands visibly touch our tools and do the work we have to do. But it becomes evident to us what He would do under our circumstances, what one only thing it would be possible for Him to do as we are situated.

The gates of that nobler life which He has opened shine before us, and his love draws us on to be with Him.”

“I am crucified with Christ: Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

“Sing, my soul, sing about Redemption, and forget not to revel daily in its rich refrain:– ‘The Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.’ Here is love’s ultimate goal– ‘Me.’ The poor, wretched, guilty, vile sinner is looked upon, longed for, and loved. Jesus, the tender, sympathizing Saviour, has set His holy heart upon the sinner. He must seek him; He must save him; He must succor him; He must have him. Oh, blessed be God that I am that sinner and Jesus is my Saviour.

Here is Love’s uttermost gesture:–‘gave Himself for me.’ To gain the sinner, to gather the guilty, to rescue the rebel, to lure the lost, Love will go to the uttermost gesture of grace and give Himself a ransom for all, including me. It is indeed an uttermost gesture. He cannot do more. He will not do less. It is Love’s uttermost limit of love.”